Choiseul On The Move

 GOOD ENOUGH ABROAD, “OVERQUALIFIED” AT HOME: A Choiseul Resident’s Painful Question

Choiseul on the Move | Commentary

Imagine coming home with years of experience, ready to work, only to hear that the very experience you bring makes you unsuitable.

For one Choiseul resident, Uyre Peter, that is the frustration behind a deeply personal account of returning to Saint Lucia and eventually leaving again.

His story deserves attention because it asks an uncomfortable question: what happens when a Saint Lucian wants to bring his skills home, but cannot find a place to use them?

According to his account, he represented Saint Lucia at a bartending competition in Trinidad in 2008, finishing fourth among fourteen competitors. He says he spent nineteen years working at ACR and Jade Mountain, followed by three years in Turks and Caicos.

Then, in August 2025, he returned home.

He describes going to interviews and repeatedly being told he was “overqualified”, while acknowledging an exception and expressing gratitude to people who treated him well. Since April, he says, he has been working in the Cayman Islands.

“Why can't I be recognized as what I am in my own island,” he asks.

That question carries more hurt than any polished employment statistic could convey.

Here is a man describing years spent learning his trade, serving guests and representing his country, yet feeling that he had to leave that country to have his experience appreciated.

We should listen.

What does “overqualified” actually mean?

Let us be fair. A worker can apply for a position below his experience level. An employer may have a limited salary budget, no senior vacancy, or concerns about whether an applicant will remain in the job. Those are legitimate matters to discuss.

But “overqualified” should begin a conversation, not automatically end one.

Was the salary explained? Was he asked whether he would accept it? Were supervisory, training or other suitable opportunities discussed?

We do not have the employers’ accounts or the details of those interviews. This resident’s experience alone cannot establish that the whole industry treats returning workers this way.

But it gives us every reason to ask whether experienced Saint Lucians are receiving a fair assessment when they come home.

A rejection may be justified. A vague rejection still leaves a worker wondering what, exactly, he was supposed to have done differently.

Choiseul should care about this

For those of us in Choiseul, the issue reaches beyond one bartender.

Experience built over years has value. An experienced hospitality worker may be able to guide a young recruit, improve service, demonstrate professional standards and help another Saint Lucian build a career.

When that worker finds an opportunity overseas, we can be pleased for him. But we should also consider what our communities could have gained had there been a suitable opportunity here.

His account suggests that returning home was something he wanted to do. That makes the disappointment particularly sharp.

People can endure the demands of working abroad while holding on to the hope that, one day, their experience will help them settle at home. What do we tell them when they return and discover that their strongest qualification has become the explanation for turning them away?

Work is also about dignity. It is about feeling that the years you invested in your craft count for something in the place you belong.

Give experience a fair hearing

The answer is not to demand that any hotel hire someone simply because he is Saint Lucian. Employers must assess competence, suitability and the requirements of the job.

The expectation should be straightforward: assess returning workers fairly, explain decisions clearly, and consider where their experience could be useful.

Where a vacancy is too junior, say so. Where the budget is too low, discuss it honestly. Where another role might fit, explore it.

Hospitality employers and training institutions should also consider practical ways for experienced returning workers to pass on their knowledge. Training, mentoring and supervisory opportunities deserve serious consideration where there is a real need.

This resident should not have to prove he is “the best bartender” in Saint Lucia for his experience to deserve respect. His account raises a question that matters regardless of rankings.

He says other islands have given him opportunities he struggled to find at home.

Saint Lucia should be willing to examine why.

We celebrate our people when they represent us abroad. We should put equal effort into recognising what they can contribute when they return.

For this Choiseul resident, the question remains painfully simple:

After all those years building his experience, where was his place at home?